April 4, 2011

Worldcup Cricket 2011 - After Championship

Written By
Hamsamalini Chandrasekaran
on
April 4, 2011
|
8:39 AM

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Victorious Team with Trophy

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Team India waited for 28 long years to get it's hand on the coveted 'Cup of Joy' but it was the Master Blaster's wait of 20 years that drove Dhoni's men to give in their best and win the Cricket World Cup 2011 Championship.

The victorious Indian team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni was felicitated by President Pratibha Patil at the Raj Bhavan here today. While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also congratulated Dhoni on the brilliant victory, many state governments announced cash prizes and plots of land for various team members.

Awards Shower

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took the lead announcing a Rs. one crore award for each player and several state governments followed suit. Some states did not announce any cash reward but said the cricketers will be honoured with respective state awards. Coach Gary Kirsten and other support staff will get Rs. 50 lakh each as reward for their contribution, while the selectors will be given Rs. 25 lakh each, BCCI President Shashank Manohar said on Sunday.

State awards

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit announced a award of Rs. two crore for Captain M S Dhoni and Rs. one crore each for four Delhi players after their historic victory.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chauhan announced award of Rs. one crore each for Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, who hail from the state.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh will be given a cash award of Rs. one crore.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa announced his government would honour the victorious cricket players with a residential plot each from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhrayal Nishank promised a residential plot or a house in Mussoorie hill station for Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, who has been a regular visitor there with his family. He also announced that a stadium will be built in the state to be named after Dhoni.

Gujarat Government announced its highest sports honour Eklavya Award for Yusuf Pathan and Munaf Patel. The award carries Rs. one lakh and a citation.

A Railway Ministry official said, "The First AC pass will be valid for each member with one companion for unlimited free travel to anywhere in the country."

Jharkhand Government said it would give a plot of land to Dhoni to set up a cricket academy in the state. "The Jharkhand Governmnet has decided to allot the land to help Dhoni to fulfil his long-cherished dream to set up a cricket academy," Deputy Chief Minister, Sudesh Mahto said. "The size and location of the plot will be decied in consultation with Dhoni," he said.

Haryana government said it will honour Sehwag and Nehra with the state's best sportsperson of the year award. The Haryana Government has decided to institute "Best Sportsperson of the Year award" from this year to honour outstanding sportspersons. Sehwag and Nehra have their roots at Jhajjar and Gurgaon respectively, he added.

The Uttar Pradesh government said it will felicitate Suresh Raina and Piyush Chawla with Kanshiram International Sports award. "By helping the Indian team in reaching the final match and making important contributions in winning the World Cup, these two players have done the state proud," Chief Minister Mayawati said.

Another record break

An unprecedented 67.6 million people watched the gripping final that had most Indians at the edge of their seats. The number of viewers on Saturday—according to the data collated by audience measurement agency aMap—has surpassed the Indo-Pak semi-final that was perhaps the most anticipated match of the tournament for the subcontinent audience. The number of viewers for the semi-final was 67.3 million. The other semifinal—Sri Lanka vs New Zealand—paled in comparison with only 32 million viewers.